This study is based on three terrestrial saprobic fungi associated with Aquilaria in Guangdong and Yunnan provinces in China. All isolated species matched with generic concepts of Melomastia. Detailed morphological characteristics and combined multigene phylogeny of LSU, SSU, and TEF revealed that the new isolates represent two new species (Melomastia guangdongensis and M. yunnanensis), and one new host and geographical record (M. sinensis). Melomastia guangdongensis is distinct from the phylogenetically closest species in having semi-immersed to immersed, globose to subglobose ascomata, and two strata of the peridium. Melomastia yunnanensis differs from the phylogenetically closest species in having immersed ascomata, conical ostiolar canals, and branched pseudoparaphyses. The discovery of these two new species and one new record collected expands the number of saprobic species associated with Aquilaria from 28 to 31. Descriptions, photo plates, and phylogenetic analyses of taxa are provided.

Yunnan Province encompasses the highest fungal diversity in China, and novel fungal species are regularly introduced. Several saprobic fungi were collected during surveys of fungi associated with woody plants in Yunnan Province, Southwestern China. The fungi samples were initially identified as Amphisphaeria. Multi-gene phylogenetic analysis based on combined datasets of LSU, ITS, rpb2, and tub2 regions and morphological characteristics confirmed that the samples represent a previously unidentified fungus belonging to Amphisphaeria, which is named A. hongheensis sp. nov. This paper provides a full description, illustrations, and a phylogenetic tree showing the new species' taxonomic placement.

Saprobic fungi are known for their critical role in decomposition and nutrient cycling. The study of saprobic fungi is equally important, as it helps in understanding their ecological roles and identifying their hidden diversity. This study focused on saprobic fungi on Aquilaria, which is poorly studied compared to economically important hosts like coffee, tea, and rubber. Our rigorous process led to the collection of two new terrestrial saprobic fungi from the Guangdong and Yunnan provinces in China. After extensive phylogenetic analyses and detailed comparison of morphological characteristics, the two collections were identified as two new species belonging to Pleosporales, Ascomycota. Aquilariomyces maomingensissp. nov. was isolated from Aquilaria sinensis in Guangdong Province, while Mangifericomes aquilariaesp. nov. was isolated from Aquilaria sp. in Yunnan Province. Full descriptions, photo plates, and phylogenetic analyses (maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses based on LSU, ITS, SSU, tef1-α, and rpb2 gene combinations) of the new species are provided, along with a comprehensive list of saprobic fungi associated with Aquilaria spp.

Bumblebees, the most important wild pollinators in both agricultural and natural ecosystems, are declining worldwide. The global decline of bumblebees may threaten biodiversity, pollination services, and, ultimately, agricultural productivity. Several factors, including pesticide usage, climate change, habitat loss, and species invasion, have been documented in the decline of bumblebee species, but recent studies have revealed the dominating role of pathogens and parasites over any of these causes. Unfortunately, there is a lack of a full understanding of the role of pathogens and parasites in the decline of bumblebee species. The current study provides a comprehensive review of how pathogens and parasites contribute to the decline of bumblebee species. The study also explores the prevalence of each pathogen and parasite within bumblebee populations. Furthermore, we address the synergistic effects of pathogens and other stressors, such as pesticides, climatic effects, and habitat loss, on bumblebee populations. To summarize, we propose possible conservation and management strategies to preserve the critical role of bumblebees in pollination services and thus to support ecosystem and agricultural health.

Using 12 104 publications from 2014 to 2023 in the DeepBone database, this study employs bibliometric methods, including full-text latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) modelling, co-occurrence network analysis and geographic mapping with ArcGIS, to examine three key aspects of vertebrate palaeontology development: geographic distribution of newly established taxa, gender demographics among researchers and research trends. Gender data were analysed using automated tools with manual verification to ensure accuracy, while methodological evolution was investigated through systematic text mining and classification. Among 8336 newly established taxa, mammals (34.72%) and fishes (29.76%) dominate, followed by reptiles (25.34%), birds (7.39%) and amphibians (2.80%). Geographic analysis reveals significant regional disparities, with the USA (13.50%) and China (13.32%) contributing the most, while Africa and Oceania remain under-represented (less than 10%). Gender analysis indicates a gradual increase in female representation from 22.78 to 27.20% over the decade, highlighting the imperative to address gender disparities in vertebrate palaeontology, thereby advancing equity in alignment with UNESCO Sustainable Development Goal 5. LDA topic modelling identifies 15 distinct research topics, encompassing evolutionary biology, cranial and skeletal morphology, dinosaur–bird evolution and human evolution, while co-occurrence analysis highlights the evolution of research methodologies, revealing strong interconnections between phylogenetic analysis (15%), traditional morphological analysis (12%) and high-resolution imaging techniques (9%).

Macadamia trees, the most economically important Proteaceae perennial crop, are globally renowned for their edible nuts. During our surveys of microfungi associated with macadamia in China and Thailand, we isolated three saprobic fungi from dead macadamia branches. Our multigene phylogenetic analyses (ITS, LSU, SSU, tef1-α, TUB2, and ACT loci), genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition (GCPSR) with a pairwise homoplasy index (PHI) test, and morphological characteristics led to the discovery of two new species, Dothiorella macadamiae and Phaeoacremonium chiangmaiense, and one new record, Melomastia puerensis. We provide morphological descriptions, photo plates, phylogenetic analysis results, and PHI test results of the two new species, along with comparisons with closely related taxa. These findings have global implications for understanding the diversity of microfungi associated with macadamia trees.